Amalgamated
by SilverCandyCane
Summary: Aaron and Daryl recruit a strange couple. Aaron didn't get to give his speech about how safe the zone is, the man and the woman were not interested in that. He didn't get to show them the pictures of the walls, they thought it was unnecessary. How will the people of Alexandria react to the newcomers? Daryl and Aaron agreed, that if this works, they will be attending the interview.
1. Chapter 1

Daryl passed back through the gated into Alexandria by sunset. He had been hunting most hours of the day lately. its more comfortable for him that way. As he walked in a casual pace towards the house he shared with his family, and as the rabbits he killed swung from a string by his side, he thought of what he saw out there today. He was unusually late and it is already dark out by the time he reached the steps by the front door because he simply lingered outside thinking.

He has been assigned a job; to recruit people, good people, and bring them to live here, to survive longer. What Aaron asked of him was partnership, and he understood that. But part of the job was to be sure these people were trustworthy before Aaron and Daryl initiated communication, or even before they make their presence known. That part was a bit unclear. Daryl was weary and doubtful as he tried to understand what was asked of him, to understand the point behind doing it. It was all blurry to him since he first saw Aaron at the barn when they were out there, it only stopped confusing him today, when he saw _them_. At that thought, Daryl changed his pace and destination, and went for Aarons house instead.

When he reached the door, he knocked and sat down by the steps outside. After a few minutes, and little sound of shuffling footsteps, Aaron opened the door. He smiled politely when he looked up,

"hey, Daryl " he greeted the man with a nod and stepped outside to stand by him at the top of the steps.

"Hey" Daryl briefly replied.

Aaron realized that Daryl liked it brief. "I see you got me my rabbits" he teased lightly.

" Yeah, here" Daryl smiles a bit and handed him the string of rabbits.

" Listen, man. About tha' job ya asked of me.."

he started, looking at Aaron with determination. "I saw some people while I was huntin' , jus' cuz this time I wen' a bit further than usual, and I think we should check 'em out, watch 'em, ya know, like you did with us"

Aaron was momentarily surprised at how fast and easy Daryl got in the mentality of the mission he was handed. Maybe he'll really be a great partner with this job. "yes, we can do that, we'll see if we can start a scouting soon,

what about them made you want give them the chance?" Aaron was curious, because he wasn't home that long for someone to pop up in the area without him knowing.

Daryl thought for a moment before he looked up at him,

"they're good, I ain't that sure 'bout it, but I think they'll do us a lot o'good here"

he answered, although it wasn't that detailed, he had a good feeling about them.

"how many?" asked Aaron.

"two" replied Daryl instantly.

"Tell you what," Aaron started, "the two of us will watch them, see what we see, and maybe because there's just two of them, the conversations they'll have will let us know better whether to trust them of not, so listening to what they say will be important..

Alright, I'll take this up to Rick and Deana tonight" he continued " I'm guessing by tomorrow we'll have to check our traveling supplies, see if we .."

Aaron stopped and thought for a minute, then he looked at Daryl

"How did you see them settled? Is there urgency for us to reach them?" he inquired professionally.

"naw, they're fine on their own fo' now" Daryl answered getting up of his feet "I didn't get close to 'em, I don't think they have much supplies, tho"

"Then are you alright with leaving tomorrow?" Aaron asked, he brought them home a few weeks ago, so he's excited to see how this partnership would work.

"Yea, I'll wait for ya by dawn" Daryl informed him as he walked down the steps to the sidewalk "see ya"

"Ok, good night!" Aaron replied. He walked inside as Daryl figure disappeared into the neighboring house.

* * *

"You think they moved a lot since yesterday?" Inquired Aaron as they stopped their vehicles after a while of driving.

Daryl thought about the time he saw the man and the women walking in the wood. He realized that he hadn't seen them sit down, or rest, they just kept walking, when they started killing a few walkers he noticed it was late and so he left them.

"Nah, they were on foot, couldn't have gone more than a couple o' miles"

"Were they near the safe zone?"

"naw, they were even walkin' the other way, you see tha' street there?" he pointed at a road not far from them, it stretched toward their left away from their safe zone.

After a few minutes of walking they got close to the spot Daryl last saw them. Then they started paying more attention to their surroundings as to not accidentally alert the couple.

Aaron was impressed by the amount of patience Daryl had each time he tried to track them down but failed and kept trying to find other leads. It was a powerful thing to have, patience, he thought.

Daryl started slowing down then dropped to a crouch behind a thick tree trunk and motioned for Aaron to do the same. " There, ya see 'em? Far left" pointed Daryl. There were two figures walking side by side in an unhurried pace, weaving along the thick trees. The distance didn't help with much of the details, but Aaron can see the man and the woman weren't weak or scared. As they walked occasionally glanced at each other. They might be having a conversation but the only way to hear it is by getting a bit closer and using the equipment.

Daryl walked quietly and cautiously stalked the couple, keeping safe distance but close enough to get more information. He noticed the women started walking in front of her companion instead of walking side by side. Every few minutes, the man would touch her back in shapes, draw circles and lines, and the woman would respond by looking or turning right of left, It seemed as a way of communicating. A very smart one at that, but it also felt personal, like they know each other very well.

"Do you think they're a couple? They aren't talking much" Aaron commented, though they haven't used their listening equipment yet.

"Ye I think so" Daryl guessed, " I think they're lookin' for food now, maybe when they stop walkin' we can use that eavesdroppin' thing"

Aaron laughed internally at the name; he knew Daryl understood why he was listening in on them back before they met, but he also knew Daryl didn't approve of eavesdropping in general.

In an hour of walking, Aaron noticed that the couple managed to shoot down some game without stopping, and after a few, they sat down across from each other, with their back leaning on tree trunks. It looks like they started eating their kills right away. "Are they eating their food raw?" Aaron knew he would never do that, but he know what surviving takes and how it changes people.

"Yea, it's better, cuz they don't got shelter for now, so maybe they don't wanna risk startin' a fire" Daryl suggested as he sat down at a safe distance so he can keep watching them. Aaron started setting up the listening equipment, it wasn't that advanced, nor complicated. It just did the job, he thought.

The couple seems to be silent for a few minutes. Aaron gave Daryl the left part of the headset and waited while listening to random crunching sounds of the woods.

"What are you looking at?" came a soft voice, the woman, Aaron guessed, sounded amused rather than angry. Her and her companion where looking at each other for a moment.

"I know, and you look just as creepy" said the women after a moment as she whipped her mouth with her sleeve. She sounded like she was smiling.

They ate quietly for a few minutes, and Daryl decided to pay more attention to watching them more than listening. Maybe they're not the talking type, he thought.

"You're still hurting, Hades." Said the woman to her partner, _Hades_. The couple seems to stop moving their hands and just sits there keeping eye contact, until Hades broke it and looked down. The woman sighed and stood. She started walking to the man. When she stood above him, her feet between his bent legs, she crouched down to eyelevel with him. Then she grabbed Hades' bag and took something out. "Show me" she requested calmly, keeping her eyes on his.

Aaron was afraid that maybe that man, Hades, was bit, or scratched. The man seemed tall, and capable. So maybe that's not the case, he thought. His questions were answered when Hades lifted his dirty shirt, to show the woman his abdomen. He had a long gash across his side that seemed a recent injury. But the distance kept Aaron and Daryl from inspecting everything with detail.

The woman then proceeded to apply some sort of medicine, maybe a heat cream, to the other side of his stomach. Daryl guessed the man injured his ribs too. After a minute, the woman handed Hades a bottle of water and waited for him to hand it back. Aaron suggested that being injured was the reason why they didn't hear the man say one word yet.

"Sleep, I'll stay up" the woman, we are yet to hear her name, Aaron thought, shifted to sit next to her companion while she talked. Hades seemed to point with his hands, and move them in motions lazily, Aaron whispered " sign language" to Daryl, who nodded and went back to watching.

It would make sense now, Hades isn't deaf; he's mute. And as it seems, he doesn't always need sign language for his partner to understand him. Daryl guessed that's a good trait in companionship.

"But _I_ think we have time, what you don't have is the energy to keep walking" the women seemed to understand Hades' signs and answers softly, "it's not going anywhere anyway, why not rest"

The woman sat closer to her companion and pulled him to lean his head against her shoulder. Hades looped his arm with hers and kept his hand around her wrist on his lab.

Aaron noticed that Daryl stopped listening, and simply sat down to watch them. Maybe they'll rest for now, Aaron thought, as he started to put down his headset. He saw the woman look down at her companion, so he put his headset back and listened.

"I still think we should've went back for the firearm cabinet, you know I can pick locks" the woman whispered. Hades simply looked up at her for a moment then leaned back down and closed his eyes.

"I get it." the women smiled, "maybe I get greedy in shops that type"

"We need some sharpening tools next time, your machete used to paper-cut, now it just tickles" whispered the woman. The man laughed quietly, and nudged her with his elbow. "Sleep, now" she said calmly.

* * *

"Maybe they encountered bad people, resulting in the man getting hurt" Aaron said.

They sat still, watching the man and the woman rest, though the woman was clearly awake. Daryl thought for a moment, the man's wounds did not cripple him or hinder his movement; they didn't even notice he was hurt when they were walking. They both seemed capable and unafraid. Aaron and Daryl were discussing what they know so far, when the woman began turning her head looking sharply at her surroundings.

"shh" Daryl lifted his hand motioning for Aaron to be quiet. They watched her look around for a long while, until she relaxed her neck and leaned her head back on the tree truck. Her eyes were still open, looking cautiously at anything and everything.

After a few moments, she seems to have decided that this was enough rest for now, as she slowly took Hades' hand away from her wrist which instantly brought him back from only a couple of hours of sleep. He lifted his head to look at her, then at their surroundings. He seems to understand why he's awake, and began collecting his pack.

"I felt something, or heard something while you were asleep" the woman said, as she stood and dusted her clothes. Hades turned to look at her.

"Don't look at me like that, you _know_ I can tell if I started hallucinating" she said calmly sounding almost bored, looking at him for a moment before going back to surveying the woods around them.

Daryl and Aaron looked at each other strangely, if she is attentive enough to notice them within only a few hours, she's either incredibly useful, or very, very dangerous.

They decided to wait until the couple walked on, to give more distance between them, just in case.

"We should talk to 'em soon, if we watch 'em for too long they ain't gonna trust us, now that the girl already has her suspicions" Daryl said once the couple were further away. He stood to pick up their stuff, and handed Aaron the earpiece.

"What if they're dangerous?" Aaron asked.

"I don't think so, but if they are I'll take care of it" Daryl said, "we can talk to 'em tonight, pretend we're just survivors looking for the same shelter, see what they do"

"Yeah, and when we're sure, we'll ask them if they'll come back with us" Aaron added.

* * *

Hades' POV

Sometimes, Hades' wonders if he is that much of a bad actor that he can't hide the little flinch he got every few minutes of walking, But he can't really measure his acting skills on Eris, she knows him too well.

As he walked beside her, he reached for her hand as he slowed his pace, he never felt the need to sign for her, she knows. "I know" she said, as she rose on her toes, and he felt her kiss his jaw.

He was tired; they hadn't found shelter since the four men jumped him. He was worried, as calm as Eris can be, she has been the one to pay attention and stay alert the whole time since. He stopped to catch his breath; it was too hot it might burn.

"I was almost going to say that winter was coming soon. Maybe Helius read my mind" Eris joked while wiping a sleek of sweat from he face with the bottom of her shirt.

Eris and her lame Greek god jokes, Hades thought. He let out a breathy laugh. She looked at him. Her features calm and loving. He watched her eyes with the same affection, until suddenly her eyes flicked to his right fast and back to him within seconds. Hades stood straight and turned, he saw at least over seven walkers dragging their feet, releasing chilling sounds. They are scary in general, but Hades can't help but feel a thrill for action surge through him. He was getting ready to attack when Eris grabbed his pack with her right and grabbed his arm with her left.

"No, too many to quietly get rid of them" she said. She never sounds panicked, he thought briefly. He nodded, and they took off in the other direction. He saw a house, more like a cabin up a hill. He switched his arm and grabbed hers instead.

He pointed at her to stay at the door until he cleared cabin. She slapped him on the rear just as he went through the door. There goes the serious face, he thought smirking a little. He lifted his Axe in an attack stance, and walked in. he had just cleared the entrance room and a bedroom, when Eris ran inside.

"Survivors" she whispered with her back against the closed front door. He furrowed his brows, asking her how many.

"two" she answered quickly, "they're taking care of the dead but more are coming"

She breathed deep and looked at him dead in the eyes. "We are going to help them" she said.

The way she said it told him she decided this for the two of them, not for the two strangers. Also meaning she isn't sure they can be trusted yet. He nodded.

He noticed Eris go into the kitchen; she went through drawers quickly, walking back with a handful of kitchen knives. "I won't get too close" she said, he can see in her stance she was going to help out from afar.

"Maybe I'll have to bring them here. Be ready, they're still strangers" she said quickly and disappeared out the door.

Ridiculously reckless, he thought, as he cleared some space between the front door and the furniture in the entrance room. He dragged an armchair to the middle of the room, sat down, dropped his Axe on the floor between his knees, and secured a gun in each hand, and waited.


	2. Chapter 2

Back to back, Daryl and Aaron where surrounded, they thought they could handle the numbers, until the numbers betrayed them. They were too many. As Aaron was trying to wedge his knife out of a walker's skull, Daryl was keeping the rest at bay. Aaron was getting close to giving up when the knife sliced out of the skull and he lost his footing. His back hit the ground, which knocked the breath out of him. Walkers were piling up on Daryl, one of them lunged on top of Aaron, desperately trying to get a taste. Aaron struggled to keep the dead corpse at a distance with his forearms, but the distance was growing smaller and smaller.

Aaron tried to think his way out, but it wasn't working. His thoughts were running wild behind his wide eyes. Suddenly his mind was silenced by a thump sound of walkers falling, and he felt the dead weight of the one on top of him. He shakily crawled his way out from under it, to see that the knife that killed it had no handler. He pulled it out and pulled himself to his feet.

Daryl was just starting to see how the dead around him fell to the dirt one by one, when a shout alerted him towards the thick trees.

The woman stood on a big branch a few trees away, shouting at them to run towards the cabin, but shouting more to attract the walkers to her instead. At that moment, Aaron first noticed the cabin; it was secluded and almost completely hidden within the trees. He rammed his knife into another walker then turned and started running, looking back to be sure Daryl was doing the same. They both looked around for the woman, but she was nowhere to be found, So they kept going until they reached the door of the cabin.

The moment Daryl put his foot of the wooden steps before the door, he pulled it back quickly as a kitchen knife was impaled near where his foot was. Alarmed, Daryl tightened his hold on his hunting knife. He was about to lift his crossbow when the woman was suddenly standing in front of him. She waited for him to lower his weapon, but he didn't.

"you aren't afraid of me, why so persistent?" she said quietly, as she eyed them fully, "lower it, it is unnecessary" she rolled her eyes, but she didn't let them in until they lowered their weapons. She gestured to the door. No giving us her back, Aaron thought, but still not raising her weapon.

Daryl entered first, to find the man, Hades, staring right at him, pointing two guns, one silenced, at them. They were being cautious, Daryl thought, the girl didn't raise her weapon because she new her companion is ready. Once they all walked in, she closed the door and walked around them, now safely giving them her back. She walked to Hades and sat on the arm of his chair.

Now, Daryl can see them both with intense details, the woman didn't look American, she had the raw type of beauty. What caught his eyes first was her hair, which, braided, reached her thighs. That might be inconvenient in this world, he thought. But she looked so capable he couldn't call her stupid for having such long hair. She had several weapons on her, some with holsters and some she seems to have on anyway. She had a shotgun strapped to her back, but she had nothing in her hands. He recognized the type (weapons within reach, but doesn't need to wave them around to prove a point). She sounded so logical, polite, and gentle a minute ago, you wouldn't have believed she was carrying weaponry.

"He will put down his guns when you put down yours" she said. Looking at their eyes confidently. Aaron thought maybe she has done this before.

She did not scream her command, she worked in deals, back and forth. If they wanted to no longer be at gunpoint, they will drop their weapons in return. Aaron looked at Daryl and began to lower his gun until in reached the floor. Daryl followed his lead because otherwise they wouldn't go anywhere with this, but he kept his guard up, always.

The woman placed her hand gently on Hades' shoulder, and in response he lowered the guns and put them at his feet. Hades returned his gaze on them. He looked powerful, with his wide shoulders, and his longs legs. He sat on that worn chair like he was king, Aaron thought, with his queen to his right always. Closer and in detail, hades had long hair, knotted at the back of his head, he had a beard too. Daryl noticed a few stray hairs covering a scar at his left eyebrow. He never stopped analyzing them, its like he's reading their clothes, their stance, and their belongings.

"Thank you, for earlier" Aaron said, looking at both of them, "my name is Aaron, this is Daryl"

Hades looked at them and placed his hand on the woman's back, most likely communicating through her.

"Are the rest of your group close by?" she asked after a moment, looking at then expectantly, "you're too clean, you don't have everything you own on you" she explained.

"No, our community isn't close by" Aaron said, "but we were on a supply trip"

The woman grabbed her pack, and without breaking eye contact, threw two granola bars at them. "Here," she said quietly, "you won't find supplies in these woods"

Hades look up at her then pointedly looked at the ground next to his feet. She took off the strap of her .22-caliber shotgun, and sat near his left foot cross-legged. She placed her hands on her knees. "Eris" she said, "Hades" she cocked her head to the right towards him.

Eris didn't sound worried, or scared. Hades was simply sitting there since they came in, unreadable.

"Nice to meat you two" Aaron smiled, "will it be ok if we spent the night here with you?"

Eris smiled back, and looked up at Hades. When he leaned back in his chair, she looked back at them.

"It'll be dark soon anyway" she said, her face turning neutral, "I ask you to not lift your weapons off the floor, we will all spend the night here, all within each other's sight" then she smiled sweetly "be smart and agree, and you might get free dinner"

"Yes, we are not a threat to your safety, I promise you that" Aaron assured them.

"Mr. Daryl?" she looked him in the eyes directly, and waited.

"Yea, if you follow the same terms" Daryl said.

"We will not reach our weapons until you decide to reach yours" she promised, "Do we have an agreement?" her voice soft as if she was asking if he wanted more wine. Daryl nodded and put down his pack.

When Daryl and Aaron sat against the wall, Eris looked at them for a moment with her head tilted, "You said community" she said. She looked at them seeming amused by Aaron's choice of words.

Hades rolled his eyes, and began skinning a couple of rabbits, leaning his elbows on his knees.

Aaron felt they saw enough signs to understand that the couple was strategic, trusting but cautious. Above all, they where feeding him and Daryl with no gain in return. He looked at Daryl. With a silent agreement between them, Aaron looked back her.

"Yes, we have a community a few miles from here" Aaron started, "we would like you to join us"

Hades looked up from his bloody hands to Aaron, then to Eris. She looked back and pointed at Aaron, "I told you" She said to Hades. Hades smirked at her and signed something, then went back to looking at them suspiciously, while calmly preparing the game for dinner.

The clueless look on Aaron's face made her explain, "you're not here by accident, are you?" She said, eyeing them "I bet you weren't even on a supply run"

Their fast deductions had Daryl and Aaron doubting their next move, Daryl thought about grabbing his crossbow but Eris seemed to have read his thought, "don't, " she warned "I promised as well as you did that the weapons remain on the floor" she adjusted her position, straightening her back as she continued "now we do have questions, but the deal is only standing as long as you keep them floored" she sounded reassuring and calm, but the tone came of capability, and power, not fear.

Daryl relaxed his hands, "a deal's a deal" he said, nodding. He has more respect for her tactics now.

"Good" she said, "were you following us?"

"Yes" Daryl replied, there was no point in lying to them.

"Why?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Because we need people like you" Aaron said, "to make us stronger. We came to recruit you"

"I never thought I'd hear it again" Eris mumbled looking at her partner, "first it was _sanctuary_ , now it's _community"_

Daryl's eyes snapped to Eris at the mention of a _sanctuary_. "Ya know a place called terminus?" He asked in disbelief.

Hades look at him, and nodded.

"It's over though" Eris added, "it blew up after we got out" she had her hands clenched at her knees, and she was looking anywhere but their eyes.

Hades lifted his hands and signed something with his bloody fingers.

"Forget terminus," she said looking back at them, "we have questions"

"We will answer as much as we can but its not our call" Aaron explained, "you see, our job is to bring you to our community, and there you will be interviewed, it's our leader's decision, not ours"

Hades signed some more.

"How many people in that _community_ of yours?" Eris asked. She still thinks the word _community_ is amusing, Aaron thought.

"43" Daryl said.

Both Hades and Eris raised their eyebrows in surprise.

"And how, pray tell, is this number of people kept in line?" Eris asked. She was questioning their governance. Smart questions to go for first, Daryl thought.

"Our leader was a congresswoman" Aaron said.

Hades rolled his eyes boringly and signed something.

"What is he saying?" Aaron asked.

"That a politician for a leader gets you nowhere" Eris said plainly shrugging, "really, sometimes it's a mistake to assign a authoritative figure from before to be a leader at the end of the world"

Hades signed some more, as Eris delivered his questions. The usual.

"How long has this place been there?" She asked.

"Almost two years now" Aaron answered.

"Did you recruit all those people?" She asked, "this doesn't seem like your first try"

"Not all of them, no" Aaron said, "but I've recruited before, latest one of them being Daryl's group"

"Meaning the most of the 43 has been there for two years" she mumbled quietly, "probably the boring types too"

Daryl raised his eyebrows at her thoughts, She still didn't ask about the walls, he thought.

Just as he finished the thought, Eris stood up from the floor by Hades, and started pacing slowly around the armchair he was sitting on, her hands together behind her back. "People-talk never ends, talk to me about the place" she said, "I don't remember anything significant that's nearby"

"Our community is surrounded by a steel wall, that's secure all around the safe zone" Aaron started, "it's basically a big neighborhood, one of those eco-based, energy preserving ones from before, I have pictures in my pack if you'd like to see"

"No no don't show me now, I'll just point things out and start criticizing you, I'll probably boss you around too, I'll just annoy everyone in the room including me, don't know if we'll go with you yet, and I'm already judging the leader. I think I'll spare you the headache" Eris said in a quick breath, they almost didn't catch what she was saying. Hades snorted a quiet laugh, then she looked at them, as if she just realized that she was rambling, and smiled shyly "sorry" she whispered, as she went to stand behind Hades, rummaging through her bag until she pulled out a bottle of meds, popped one in her mouth, and looked back at them.

Hades' expression turned from amused to curious after a moment. He signed something lazily, and leaned back in his chair.

"what is it you want form us then?" was what she voiced.


	3. Chapter 3

Their questions were precise, Daryl thought, like they've talked this talk before. They act almost as one person, and you never know if the questions come from Hades or from Eris.

After listening quietly to what the recruiters had to say, Hades prepared the meat, then Eris took it and went to the kitchen to cook it.

Hades sat in that same armchair, watching them, going through what he just learned. Then he took out a small notebook, and wrote something in it. He handed the notebook to Aaron.

The recruiters looked at what Hades wrote,

" _How do you know you can trust us?"_ was written in fast handwriting.

Aaron looked at the man with the question, "we were watching you for a little while" he said, "we were listening in"

Hades looked back at Aaron then Daryl, and then started laughing quietly. Aaron looked back at Daryl confused. Hades noticed, and motioned for him to give back the notebook.

" _Don't tell her you were listening too, she felt watched and I ignored it, she won't let this go for the next few weeks if you tell her"_ he wrote.

Daryl huffed a laugh but stopped when Eris came back in the room. She looked at his hand, "I see the notebook made it" she commented looking back at Hades. He smirked and shrugged signing something to her.

"Oh about me, huh?" she said, "what gentlemen you guys are" she laughed.

Then she grabbed the notebook from Daryl's hand, and handed it back to Hades without looking at it. "You aren't going to look?" Aaron wondered aloud.

She sat back down in her spot by the foot of Hades' chair, gave him his share, and then she gave the recruiters theirs.

"That's part of my promise to him" she said softly, "the old oath says, that I am to voice anything he wants to sign to someone else no matter what he signs, as I am to respect whatever he writes as his privacy if he didn't choose to show it to me"

Hades looked at her and laughed. He looked back at them with a wicked twinkle in his eyes and signed something.

"And he's been abusing that promise for comedy purposes too" she said, smiling and rolling her eyes at him, "shut up and eat your food"

They obviously know each other for years, Daryl thought, and to keep a promise like that for that long is another sign to their trustworthiness. Let's just hope they agree, they might make that place less unsettling, he thought.

* * *

After he ate, Aaron thanked the couple for their generosity again. Eris sat at Hades' feet, eating in silence, and every now and then he would put some of his food in her plate. Daryl can see the gears roaring in their heads, analyzing, detailing, and trying to make a decision. He knew he could only see this because he was paying attention. They appeared so composed, but inside they were on fire. It is clear that it's been just the two of them for a long time, which would make them uneasy meeting new people.

"Do you happen to have some painkillers on you?" Eris asked suddenly, but so quietly Aaron almost missed it.

It was a strange thing how she can alternate between talkative and shy, but then she _is_ talking for two, and Aaron _did_ notice the pill she took when they were discussing the safe zone. Maybe they have more to ask them. He looked at Daryl then to her, "yes, we do. something wrong?" Aaron asked.

"I took the last one a little while ago, and hades didn't take any for five hours now" she explained softly then looked up at Hades.

Daryl can see that Hades hated asking people for things, but he can also see that the man was realistic about his injury, not letting his pride rule all the time.

Hades looked down at her slightly annoyed, but she nudged his leg with her elbow and he nodded his consent. Eris looked back at Aaron smiling a little, "will you please give us some?"

Aaron smiled back and looked through his backpack, then handed her a white bottle of pills.

"Thank you, Mr. Aaron" she said, looking down at the bottle, getting two pills and lifting her hands towards Hades for him to take them. She gave back the bottle.

Hades threw the pills down his throat and swallowed them.

"Are you two injured?" Aaron asked, curiously waiting to hear about who hurts them.

Hades nodded, then signed.

"We had a bad encounter with men who wanted what we had" Eris said, in the same soft tone, "but they couldn't get rid of us" she smirked.

Daryl started to think this went way better than the recruitment of his own group; Hades and Eris were logical, calculating. They knew they don't need to hold them at gunpoint or threaten them to get the answers they wanted. Daryl thought about asking them the three questions Rick started asking new people back at the prison. Either he asks them now, or Rick asks them when they get to the safe zone.

Hades smiled and touched Eris' knee with his booted foot, getting her attention. He signed something to her then put his hand on the back of her neck.

She looked at him, then back at the recruiters, with eyes shining with excitement, "what do you say we make a deal?" she said.

This excites her, Daryl thought. "What's the deal?" he asked.

"You see, we were headed to a hill house, its stocked and locked" she explained, smiling slightly, "we knew the owner, and we have the key to it. Give us two days, then meet us back here"

"Why not come with us first," Aaron suggested, "get fueled for the trip then go to the house with some back up"

She looked at both recruiters for a minute. Hades signed for her.

"I'm going to be very honest with you, now" she said, "I don't think your community will be pleased to have us among them, considering people didn't like us since before the dead walked"

Aaron was shocked at their honestly, "I assure you, the people there are very welcoming" he said, "they are the ones who sent us out here for this"

"I understand that, Mr. Aaron" she said, calmly trying to make them see her point, "but to protect ourselves we want to come into the safe zone with supplies as well as man power, do you see what I mean?"

She's right, Daryl thought. If they failed the community's standards after the interview, they will automatically be labeled as _Extra Mouths To Feed_. They are saying that they will be bringing the food. he looked back at Aaron, agreeing silently.

"I am not trying to fool you or your people," she added softly, looking at them both, "I'm trying to ensure the safety of Hades and myself once we go behind your walls"

"That makes sense," Aaron said, "if that is what you want to do, then we will be here two days from now"

"It's a deal then" Eris smiled, stretching her hand out for them to shake.

* * *

On the second day, Alexandria's recruiters took off on the same path they followed heading to the cabin in the woods. Aaron drove a car, while Daryl drove his motorbike; they thought this would make it easier to carry the supplies along with the survivors. They took the path along until they couldn't use the vehicles anymore, so they hid the car and the bike in the trees and the bushes, and they kept going on foot.

It wasn't long before they reached the cabin, the sun was starting to reduce it's heated glare as the afternoon came along. Daryl looked at the cabin, thinking that if the couple didn't get here yet, they're going to have to check for walkers inside. Then he noticed the cabin door was wide open.

"they ain't here yet," Daryl said to his partner.

* * *

Just a little left, Hades thought, as he tried to release his wrists from the cuffs trapping his bleeding body. He was left for the walker with open doors, like free dinner. He knew he shouldn't worry about Eris, but they've been together almost all the time, and now she's not here. The pain of that thought stabbed at his chest hard.

Just when we were given a chance, he thought bitterly.

Hades heard footsteps coming towards the room he was in, he leaned on his elbows and forced himself to stand. Cuffs or no cuffs, he thought.

He crouched behind a table by the door and waited. He wasn't sure if the assholes came back to make sure he was eaten or if this is someone else. But he knows these footsteps aren't those of walkers. God, I just wish we didn't have that little shred of sympathy then, he thought, we could've avoided this.

When they attacked him the first time, he and Eris controlled the situation. But the three men began begging and mentioning their women and children while he and Eris had them on their knees. They agreed to let them go. He guessed that would be fair, considering Hades killed one of them when the man got too close to seriously hurting Eris. And here they were, separated and hurt by their own sense of humanity.

He wasn't bleeding anymore, he assessed his condition, he's not even tired but that's probably just the adrenaline overshadowing his body's limitations. But then there's also the rage overshadowing his guilt. It doesn't matter now, he decided. He will get her back, then his rage can kill them. What's left of them, he corrected himself, Eris doesn't like sharing revenge.

The footstep got closer to the slightly open door. Hades readied himself, he fought in handcuffs before, and footsteps indicated he was not outnumbered.

The door creaked as it was pushed open slowly. Too slow for Hades' liking, he rushed the intruding figure into the ground. Weapons were dropped as he locked the intruder with his hands around his neck, squeezing slightly. Hades put his weight on the man when the man tried to struggle free from the choking grip. All he could hear is his own heavy breath, and the furious tone of his pounding heartbeat, but slowly he noticed the man talking to him.

"It's me, man" the body under him spoke in a breathless state.

Hades can see that the man's face looked familiar, but all he can think about is whether he has seen him with the group of men that attacked them or not.

He felt something touching his back, then another person, who looked familiar as well, entered his view with a gun raised.

Hades was still focusing on holding the intruder until the armed one talked to him.

"Hades, let him go" the voice said calmly, "it's just us, Aaron and Daryl?"

A voiceless groan made it's way out of Hades' unused throat. His eyes cleared, and he could finally see them.

He eased his grip on Daryl's throat, and the man took a few much needed breaths. Hades got his body off of Daryl's and sat heavily at his feet, looking at them both like he was in a haze and he jut realized the world. They can still hear the wheezed groan of distress from deep in his throat.

Aaron lowered his gun, and holstered it slowly. Daryl stood and extended his hand to Hades to help him up. Hades looked at it for a short moment, and then took it with both hands, that's when the recruiters notices the handcuffs. "What the hell happened?" Daryl asked.

Hades lifted his hands between them, silently asking them to free him, even though a part of him doubted they would trust him after this.

They tried to open the cuffs, but ended up just cutting the chain between them, leaving the man with metal rings on each wrist. The moment Hades' hand were freed (at least form being joined together) he jumped and ran around the cabin looking for his Axe. The recruiters tried to ask about Eris or about who did this to him, but he didn't give them a chance as he bolted through the front door in a fast pace.

"Stop, Hades" Aaron pleaded, "we can help you if you tell us what happened".

Hades can hear them running after him trying to keep up. He stopped suddenly, when he lost his path. He looked around him from the top of the trees to the grounds at his feet. He wasn't the best tracker. We were doing fine when it was the two of us, hades thought. Just then he noticed that his hand were shaking.

"Do you know were Eris is?" Daryl asked him, trying to meet his frantic eyes. Hades looked at him. After a moment he shook his head from side to side slowly.

Daryl's eye widened, "did someone take her?" he asked. Daryl can see from the cuffs to the panicked state of a usually very calm Hades that he was right.

Hades closed his eyes and exhaled, nodding slightly.

"We can track them down, but it's getting dark out" Daryl said to him calmly, trying to reason with him. Hades looked at him, then looked up. She'll be fine, he reassured himself, this isn't new to her. He looked back at them thoughtfully.

After a moment he pointed at Aaron then straightened his arm to point at the cabin.

"ya sayin' he should stay?" Daryl guessed. Hades nodded.

"you think there's a chance she can come back on her own?" Aaron asked.

Hades nodded again.

After Aaron secured the cabin and stayed to wait for them. Hades followed Daryl while he tracked the men expertly.

Daryl was surprised that the man behind him barely made a sound walking. He may not be a good tracker, but h seems like a decent hunter telling by the way Hades stalks the woods with silent steps.

"How many?" Daryl asked, looking back at Hades.

Hades lifted his hand with five fingers raised.

"How long ago?" Daryl asked. By the condition of the tracks, he thought, the attack didn't happen today.

Hades raised one finger.

"A day?" Daryl said, now slightly worried that it might be too late.

These men must've knocked Hades out, which explains the dark bruise around his left eye, and the fact that he only now rushed out to look for Eris. Just then, Daryl thought of their injuries. While hades seemed to be holding up, he was stabbed in the leg when he was cuffed.

Daryl held up his hand and stopped walking, "we should wait until sunrise to keep lookin'" he said, "too dark to track"

Hades looked at him for a moment. He understood, but he also hated that Daryl was right because he couldn't make his body sit still.

"You still bleeding?" Daryl asked. Hades shook his head no.

They sat down and Hades got to clean his wound a bit, just to prevent infection."Two days ago, Eris said you were both injured" Daryl said, "what was her injury?"

Hades pointed at a bruise on his wrist, then put his hand on the back of his head.

"Just a bruise? Not a concussion?" Daryl asked. Hades shook his head.

Daryl was thinking about what they might find when they do find them. But he doesn't know what kind of men took her in the first place.

Hades looked back at him, seeing that they were on the same thoughts, then he took out his notebook from his pocket, wrote something, and handed it to Daryl.

The tracker turned on his flashlight, and read. Maybe it was meant to reassure him, maybe it was meant to motivate him, but mostly worried him more.

" _If they didn't kill her the first day, they'll be dead by tomorrow_ " was written.


	4. Chapter 4

When they moved camp, Eris tried to leave something behind. She would never let them have her this long, but this time, these men came prepared for her skills. Gagged and bound to a tree with most of her body, Eris had no space to even scratch her back on the damned tree.

Two of them were going hunting soon, she noticed, and the other three stand around her on every direction. She could turn into a rapid animal in seconds, but all she can think about is the possibility that Hades could actually be badly hurt, which might make him badly bit by now.

She couldn't move, so she didn't. She couldn't talk, so she didn't. Eris stayed in the background because the idiots didn't think to take away the knives in her boots. Can't worry about him until I can do something about it, she thought.

The rope binding her upper body to the tree behind her started to restrict her breathing a few hours ago. She decided not to bring attention to her legs, in case they decide to bind them too.

Eris folded her legs towards her chest and laid her head on her knees. Not a drop of water was given to her since she was captured, so she used the pose of a thirsty, caged animal as she secretly tried to reach her booted foot towards her hand.

* * *

Two lines.

That's it. That's all that was left behind other than footprints. Daryl stared at the tree and thought, why would they carve two vertical lines parallel? He would've given it more thought had he not been interrupted by Hades' tap on his shoulder.

Hades pointed his finger and ran it in a horizontal line across the carved lines. Daryl turned to look at him curiously. Hades took out a pocketknife, and carved the horizontal line so it created a letter 'H', then he looked back at Daryl, pointing to himself.

"She did this?" Daryl asked. Hades nodded, motioning with his hands, pointing at the metal cuffs on his wrists and at the ground around the tree.

"She was tied up here, she left that for you" Daryl interpreted.

She's alive, Daryl signed in relief, and she showed them they were on the right track. They studied the grounds a little more and decided they weren't too far behind.

Hades was eyeing everything, looking for signs Eris might've left for him. There's a thought that started nagging at him; why two lines? What stopped her from completing the letter?

* * *

"Ya know, I'm going easy on you" said the man with the long hair, and yellow teeth, as he pressed her face into the dirt, with his foot on her shoulder, while the rest were walking, "you'll give up wiggling in a while, you alone now"

He was talking to her with his face inches from her ear; she could hear him chewing gum. His smell was revolting, clothes muddy, and his eyes were on her body since the first time he saw her.

Eris felt sweat run down her back under her shirt, and her throat was too dry with the lack of water. The more she waited for her chance, the less energy she'll have to take the chance.

When they set up the new camp, they put her on her knees on one side of their new camp, 'yellow teeth' was standing in front of her, thinking he can intimidate her by towering over her. Another one wearing a cap was behind her, her long braided hair wrapped around his cruel hand, pulling so her body was arched backwards. Eris was still gagged, and her upper body was fully restricted.

"You're a murderer, you'll get what you deserve " the man's sadistic voice spoke from above her head, "you ain't really got anywhere to be, right?"

Eris viciously hissed at him. Then suddenly gasped, as a knife tore down the back of her over shirt. She felt air on her lower back and neck, the shirt split in half with the sleeves still hanging around her arms, leaving a tight tank top covering the skin of her back.

She forced herself to think faster, she knew where this is going. The need to move is itching under her skin. There are three of them managing their supplies a few feet away, while two of them are playing around her. Eris took a deep breath.

"You and tha' boy killed our friend" the man with the cap said, kneeling behind her while pulling her hair back, talking into her neck "It's a slow, slow death for you, princess"

Eris rolled her eyes; 'princess' made her feel like choking on her own tongue. She gripped the small throwing knife tight in her hand. She just needs the right spot to strike.

'Yellow teeth' bent down to look at her, his hands drifted towards her neck. He started squeezing slowly, and Eris felt her air supply running out breath by breath. He smiled when she wheezed small breaths and closed her eyes.

She counted three seconds, snapped her eyes wide open and looked straight into his eyes. He looked strangely at her sudden change in demeanor, and his surprise had him easing his grip. Eris grabbed the knee of the man behind her in a viselike grip. In a blink of an eye, the air around them was filled with the man's screams, as she sank her knife into the back of his bent knee, effectively slashing through the artery.

Eris felt her hair being released from the loosening grip of the bleeding man, as his warm red blood coated her hands and back.

* * *

Hades stood completely still; tree leaves and branches covering his tall figure. Now that they found their enemies it was quit hard to keep hiding. His silenced gun was aimed while he kept a rigid stance. Daryl crouched and walked slowly around the trees, trying to see more from where they were hiding. He wondered why there were only four of the men now.

He could see her, tied to a tree, sitting on her knees with her arms raised. Her head was lolled on her shoulder, eyes closed. Hades tapped his arm, and pointed at a bloody spot of dirt two feet away from her. Upon closer observation, they could see that her feet twitched every now and then, and her bloody fingers were subtly trying to slip free.

"She killed one" Daryl whispered quietly, reasoning that the blood didn't look like it was hers, and the number of their enemies is lower by one. Hades only nodded, not once taking his eyes off the campsite, looking unaffected by the news.

There was a tent set up away from Eris, with one short, dirty looking man sitting at it's entrance. There were loud-voiced arguments between the remaining three standing in the middle of the camp, each on the verge of shoving the other to get his point across.

It had taken a lot of of Hades' strength not to turn into an enraged beast when they found her knife a few hours ago. It was thrown carelessly to the ground, and he recognized it so easily.

"They caught her" Daryl had said, "That's why she only had time for two lines"

But now, as his eyes scanned over her form, Hades knew she had to have another knife to do what she did. He wondered if these men are arguing about killing her as a punishment or have they already punished her. He pulled out his leather notebook, without losing sight of Eris, and wrote something down. Daryl noticed quickly, and leaned over to look.

" _They're loud. Walker risk. Shoot short one from here first"_ was written hurriedly on the small page.

"we gonna kill 'em all?" Daryl mumbled under his breath. He never liked making a decision on someone's life.

Hades looked at him for the first time in a long while, his eyebrows were pulled low in thought, and then he pulled the pages closer and scribbled a reply.

" _Not my first plan. But they WILL follow us to your home just like they followed us to the cabin"_

He's right, Daryl thought, considering the previous altercations between the couple and these men, it's too dangerous not to kill them now. Daryl loaded his crossbow pulling it in front of his chest, aimed it leaning on a thick branch, and signaled to Hades that's he's ready.

Hades gripped his gun tightly, took a deep breath, and squeezed the trigger. He released his breath, and replaced his gun with his dirty Axe, as the silent bullet launched and buried itself into the center of the man's head. Instantly dead, the man fell by the tent he was sitting next to, as the three remaining stopped their argument and panicked into action.

Daryl gripped his crossbow tightly and released an arrow right into the kneecap of a slim man with a hunting knife strapped into his belt. Daryl then moved from his spot, sprinting with speed into the campsite to restrain the second man, whom he saw had a firearm holstered by his side. Daryl's booted foot dug into the dirt as he stopped running and slammed a foot into the abdomen of the armed man before he had a chance to pull out his pistol. Once on the ground, Daryl proceeded to straddle the man and pound his fists into him until his eyes rolled into his head and his body went limp.

Daryl looked up from the unconscious man as he heard the pained screams from the man with the arrow in his leg. He saw Hades standing before a tall, long-haired man, who smiled a menacing, yellow-toothed smile that stretched across his dirtied face.

Daryl looked across the encampment towards the girl bound to a tree. Eris was still moving in her tight space trying to free he wrists first. She twisted her shoulders repetitively as she kept her eyes locked on Hades and his opponent.

Stretching his arm to the side to grab the abandoned pistol from the unconscious man and securing it on his belt, Daryl ran to Eris, releasing his hunting knife from its protective holster with his free hand. He dropped to his knees beside her and started undoing her bindings with haste. Eris was yelling pointedly at him behind the gag to get his attention, shaking her head left and right, in hopes to loosen the cloth gagging her. Daryl abandoned the harsh robes that bound her to release her from her silencer.

"The tent… " She breathed out, looking at him urgently, like she was trying to talk faster than the time she needed to regain her breath, "they didn't .. he- he will t-turn" she exhaled quickly, frustrated at her exhausted state that caused the slight tremor in her speech.

Eris pulled a big gulp or air into her lungs, raising her shoulders in effort to think faster, "Hand me the knife, Daryl" she ordered him once she regained her calm exterior.

Fastening her thin fingers around his hunting knife, he knelt on one knee to reload his crossbow with another sharp arrow, "he dead in there?" he asked her hurriedly, sharpening his gaze on the tent that sat behind Hades and his opponent, who gave up their weapons and are viciously wrestling, flipping each other into the muddy soil around them.

"Maybe, but not dead enough" she replied quietly. He can hear the knife scratching the texture of the thick robe as she worked on releasing her raised arms.

Before he can reach the tent, Daryl heard the dreaded sound of the dead man occupying it. Deep throated groans suggesting the inevitable. Did they think he could recover from the blood loss, Daryl briefly wondered, or were they too stupid to end him before he turned?

As Daryl fixed his shoulder while walking towards the tent, and aimed his crossbow, waiting for the newly reanimated walker to walk out of the tent looking for prey, Eris was almost free of her restricting robes. She watched Hades fling 'yellow teeth' angrily through the air, face first into the dirt. She watched Hades' dark hair shadow his eyes, falling messily around his face, muddied in the fight, posture overflowing with anger. Eris knew this could only end with 'yellow teeth' dying at the capable hands of her Hades. She couldn't let that happen.

Eris strained her shoulders to press the knife harder against the remaining parts of the robe, digging her boots into the dirt. She gasped a breath into her lungs harshly when the robe gave, forcing herself to react before her tired body hit the ground at the sudden freedom of movement. Knees on the ground, booted toes into the mud, Eris pushed herself into standing, slipping away the pistol from behind Daryl's belt with light fingers.

* * *

Hades was on the ground, pinned by the muddy hands of his opponent on his neck, a knee pressing into his chest. Seeing Hades' moving legs, Eris knew he had no trouble getting back on top in the next few moves. She straightened her back, and aimed the stolen pistol at 'yellow teeth's back. Her finger pressed the trigger as soon as her aim was met. She waited for the recoil, but she only received the soft tick of an empty bullet chamber. Growling angrily, Eris stretched her arm back, and threw the empty pistol, hitting her target harshly on the side of his head. 'yellow teeth's disorientation at the shock of the hit prevented him from noticing the woman he captured hop on his back.

Eris wrapped her arms around his throat from behind, and used her weight to strengthen her grip. From her hold on top of their opponent, she could see 'yellow teeth's fingers slowly lose their strength against Hades' throat. she choked her abductor until he wheezed his last breath.

Eris felt the man' body let go of all resistance and fall limp on top of Hades' form. When she dragged herself away from the body, Eris heard the clear thud of an arrow. Now that she knew Daryl took care of the walker in the tent and they were relatively safe, the adrenaline that was pumping through her veins turned into an intense level of fatigue, which she only noticed when she went to grab Hades from under the body. Hades saw Eris fall to her knees beside him, sweat making the dendrites of loose hair stick to her forehead. She was breathing very loudly, as if dedicating what's left of her energy to regulate her breathing.

Hades knelt in front of her, trying to catch a breath of his own. He put his hand on the nape of her neck. She looked up at him then. She looked at his already bruising throat, and his red, bloodshot eyes. Hades watched Eris take a shaky breath, and drop her head heavily on his chest, her forehead pressed against his neck. Hades placed his other hand on her head and kept her against him as his eyes looked around for Daryl, who was tying up the last survivor of the men who had passed out from the pain the arrow in his leg gave him.

Hades looked back down at his Eris, and moved one hand from her head to her back, drawing invisible lines in their private meaningful communication. When he was done conveying his question onto her back, Eris looked up at him, a slow little smile making it's way across her lips.

"He chewed gum two inches from my face" she whispered, answering his voiceless question, "of course I won't let you finish him"


	5. Chapter 5

After planning your first couple of game plans, you learn, quit quickly, that almost nothing goes according to plan. That became even truer once the dead started walking.

Aaron sat on an old wooden armchair placed by the front porch railing of the empty cabin. He was anxiously awaiting any signal that his friends might use. When he arrived back at the cabin, he searched and looked through every spot in the wooden house, finding spots and smears of blood around fallen or broken furniture, indicating an obviously strong fight had taken place there. He found the now dried blood of Hades by a corner in the back room. He was lucky, Aaron thought, because if the recruiters hadn't arrived when they did, the deliberately open, blood smeared window would greet walkers happily straight to their meal.

Aaron wondered what would turn men into such crazed animals, craving violence and filled up with hatred. What happened to these men that didn't happen to anyone at Alexandria during their stay in the world after the outbreak? Surely we all suffered through similar if not the same situations while trying to survive and save the people we care about, Aaron reassured himself.

When Aaron finally saw the small familiar figures of his fellow survivors, he was noticeably relieved to see three of them. He hadn't thought much about the chance that one of them might not survive, because he knew that they could very well be the three most capable people he has ever met. Walking beside Hades was Eris, who had most of her weight tipped to the left leg and had her left arm curled around her stomach. Upon further observations, Aaron saw that Daryl had two backpacks on his shoulders, while Hades had two shotguns strapped to his chest and was dragging a grey tent that's been folded around it's pole.

"You guys ok?" Aaron asked, looking towards Daryl who reached him first and stood beside him.

"They'll be fine" Daryl said. Although doing what they did was the best way they could've dealt with this, Daryl still didn't want to think about the lives they took today. He looked back at their new recruits as they approached, "at least we still got some supplies after all"

"The supplies are here, Mr. Daryl" Eris said quietly, leaning on Hades' side as they stood by their recruiters, "and they are much more than a tent and a shotgun"

* * *

Dropping her head heavily on Hades' shoulder, Eris let him wrap her ribs sitting in front of her, his hands going delicately from her back under her tank top crossing her stomach and back around. Hades hated being tightly wrapped like this, it made him feel caged, But he knew it made Eris feel weak.

"I don't know if more people is a good idea" Eris confessed, whispering gently against his neck, "or if I'll be good around more people"

Hades lifted his hand and tapped the back of her neck, Eris lifted her head to look at him as he started signing to her " _talk to me, I can't read your mind like you can mine_ "

Eris smiled softly and tiredly, "I know, I'm sorry" she whispered, resting her cheek back on his shoulder, drawing her knees to her chest.

At the amount of water she just drank, Hades guessed his partner was sleep-deprived too, and needed as much sleep as she can get. He cradled Eris' small body to his and placed his hand on her head. If he didn't know her as much as he did, he would've been afraid to break her as he was feeling her ribs and hipbone dig in to his side noticeably. We need them, Hades thought, maybe now more than ever.

After safely securing a small portion of the huge amount of supply boxes that Eris and Hades brought and hid behind the cabin before they were attacked, Daryl had Aaron check the car for gas enough to take them back to Alexandria. It was in the early hours of the morning, considering they started packing since well after midnight. Daryl suggested working through the night so they can be gone by morning. He was feeling less guilty for killing those men, and wearier about the two injured men they let live. They did that for the sake of whatever camp of people these men were from, so they sent them back unarmed, and with minimum supplies. Even so, it was best to be long gone by now.

Daryl walked back from the vehicles towards the cabin to check on his recruits. Trusting them was easier for him, he thought, because he can see their priorities clearly, and they were similar to his. He was slightly anxious about telling Rick what had happened in the last two days, but Daryl trusted that despite Rick's recently established trust issues, He would see the potential that Daryl sees in these survivors.

As Daryl approached the wooden cabin, he saw the couple seated leaning on the outer wall on the corer by the splintery railing. Hades was alert to his presence, but had his arms wrapped protectively around a very deeply sleeping Eris, who had curled herself into a ball with her bent legs across Hades' lap.

"We movin' on now" Daryl said, as he stepped onto the creaky steps of the front of the cabin.

Hades moved his free arm slowly, handing out his notebook towards Daryl, " _you still offering to take us in?_ " was scrawled sideways on the dirty paper.

"Hades," Daryl said, lifting his eyes form the notebook to the man, he leaned his back on the railing, "what happened yesterday 's makin' me wanna offer again, but back there, behind the walls, it ain't my call"

Hades looked at him thoughtfully, then nodded.

Instead of waking the sleeping bundle of limbs leaning against him, Hades secured his arms around Eris and stood to his feet slowly.

Daryl walked them to the car, where Aaron has taken the driver's seat and was looking out the open window checking for possible obstacles. He wanted to make sure they get home soon. It almost seemed that the longer it took the more injuries one of them will get.

Closing the door to the backseat after Hades got himself and Eris seated, Daryl walked around the car to the driver's window, "I'll lead now, then drive behind you when we're close" he suggested, tapping his fingers on the roof of the car.

Aaron nodded, glancing at the backseat.

* * *

Eris slept for an hour before she lifted her head from Hades' shoulder. He looked down at her, feeling her move, seeing her sunken eyes looking up slowly. At the beginning of this journey Hades' was worried, maybe two people from a safe zone is not enough to judge everyone in the safe zone. He was worried about the huge number of people that would be surrounding them suddenly. He was worried their fear of that idea may cloud their judgment. All we have is worry right now, he thought, but we can do something useful till we have something else. Hades spent an hour memorizing the roads and turns Aaron made, adding the information to his mental maps of the area. He tightened his arm, pulling Eris closer, while pulling a bottle of water from the bags at his feet. He handed her the bottle, and tapped twice on it with his forefinger, _drink_.

Eris was tired, her lungs felt heavy and restricted by her aching ribs. She felt her head throbbing around her eyes and forehand so she rested it back on Hades' shoulder. She didn't want to look in pain, not used to others seeing her injuries. Not used to others at all. The "meeting new people" feeling was made easier with Daryl and Aaron, because it happened faster and simpler. They had quiet characters and were smart enough to be easily reasoned with. The anticipation of going into a closed wall inhabited by more than 40 people was making her feel queasy.

She pulled at the dirty sleeve of Hades' arm that was around her waist, and rested her palm for a moment on the revealed skin of his arm.

" _Thank you_ " she drew on his warm skin with her finger.

Hades had told her once that she always did this and never noticed. Whenever her head felt too loud, or too quiet, when she stops getting lost in her head, he would always be there, a solid hold she hangs on to as she floats. She was so used to thanking him in those moment and in this way, sometimes she isn't aware of her fingers on his skin.

Hades looked down at the woman in his arms and smiled softly at the familiarity of the feeling. He placed the palm of his other hand on the back of her neck, pulling her close to place his lips on her forehead.

"You think we should try harder, don't you?" she whispered, closing her eyes at wave of warmth that filled her at the touch of his lips.

He looked down at her, then lifted the hand he had placed on her knee and signed " _not harder, just try to do it better this time_ "

" _No killing before the first 24 hours?_ " Eris signed with her hands after she unfolded them from clutching at Hades' shirt.

" _48_?" he signed.

" _48_ " she nodded, turning to look at the driver's seat where Aaron was seated, politely giving them their moment.

Eris moved her legs from Hades' lap, and bent her upper body down and started putting on the leather boots Hades took off of her when she was asleep, "Mr. Aaron"

"Yes?" replied Aaron, looking up at the rear view mirror, noticing how she addresses him. He saw her lean forward between the two front seats, and start to lift herself over to the passenger seat.

"Can I drive now, please?"

Aaron's surprise at the request had him give a late reaction as Eris started to take over the steering wheel, and giving him clear signs that he should start moving soon. It was strange, Aaron thought, since he couldn't remember that last time he switched drivers in a moving car. When he settled in the passenger seat, and Eris had taken control of the pedals, he looked back at Hades in the back seat.

Hades' arms were crossed against his chest, his neck tilted back to lean his head on the back of his seat. He had closed his eyes, and a slow smirk was making its way around his lips. Hades opened one eye, saw Aaron's silent questions, uncrossed his arms and signed something to him with a small smile. Then he leaned back, closing his eyes again.

Aaron looked at Eris, who had picked up on her partner's movement through the rearview mirror. She seems to always be alert to his hands, Aaron thought, the woman's eyes always catching every move.

"He says not to worry" she said with a raspy voice while opening both of the front windows, "and that I get bored too fast, just give me the directions"


End file.
